Rachel Menitoff, a news reporter for KTLA 5 in Los Angeles, gained viral attention during a late-night report because of an unexpected visitor: a cockroach. The incident occurred while Menitoff was live in Sherman Oaks covering an ongoing heat wave, which was causing overnight temperatures to remain in the 80s, offering little respite from daytime heat.
As Menitoff continued her coverage, a cockroach landed on her stomach and proceeded to crawl across her neck and chest. Despite the unsettling occurrence, Menitoff maintained her focus, calmly delivering her report. The insect then jumped onto her microphone before flying away.
Following her live report, Menitoff’s colleagues shared the footage the next morning, highlighting how she brushed off the bug once her broadcast ended.
“Oh gosh. Oh, I feel something,” Menitoff remarked, maintaining her poise despite the discomfort.
Her morning show colleagues praised her professionalism. Anchor Megan Henderson expressed disbelief at Menitoff’s composure, saying, “She kept her cool. There’s no way I would have been able to keep going.” Reporter Eric Spillman agreed, noting, “I have to hand it to her. She was calm.” Meteorologist Kirk Hawkins commented on the unsettling nature of the scene, joking about the potential for nightmares about flying cockroaches.
Menitoff later reflected on the experience in a KTLA interview, acknowledging her awareness of the cockroach’s presence. She shared her internal resolve to continue the report without reacting, “I said to myself, just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off.” Menitoff noted the irony in her report on extreme heat attracting cockroaches to the area due to warm temperatures and camera lights.
The clip quickly circulated on social media, with journalists and commentators both praising Menitoff and criticizing Los Angeles’ cleanliness. Jeff Vaughn, anchor of “The Daily News Drop,” tweeted, “Had this happened to me, I would have freaked out.” Conservative commentator Steve Guest criticized the city’s conditions, stating, “Karen Bass’s LA is overrun by cockroaches. Gross.” Jerod MacDonald-Evoy of the Arizona Mirror humorously noted, “KTLA would’ve had a hefty fine for the number of curses that would’ve come out of my mouth if this happened to me. What a pro.”
Spencer Pratt, former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, expressed displeasure at the local conditions, remarking, “Nithya Raman has made her district so filthy, you can’t even do a quick news hit without cockroaches crawling all over you like some Mumbai slum. The median home price here is $1.5M.” Gio Benitez, “Good Morning America” co-anchor, humorously added, “@RachelMenitoff would’ve crushed it on ‘Fear Factor.'”
Menitoff has yet to comment publicly on the incident, and Fox News Digital reached out but did not receive an immediate response.